RUSH Gem 2014 fall cohort

naysando · Feb 9, 2014

Hello and congrats! I am in cohort 11 and out of the 48 of us we have the most men enrolled I think at 7.

Renee

Ltmalli · Feb 12, 2014

Hi Pulmonary- thanks for starting this! I also had my interview on the 7th... & I felt it went very well. Are you applying from out-of-state as well? I'm from TX. I thought the GEM First Look was very informative & I enjoyed hearing from the current GEM students. The total cost for the program was kinda scary though.....

p.stacyt · Feb 14, 2014

I'm so glad someone started a thread! I had my interview on the 7th and I didn't leave feeling super confident but there's nothing more that I want than to get into Rush. The cost of the program is scary for me too since I'm out-of-state and can't live with a family member.

3141592 · Feb 15, 2014

Another Cohort 11 member here like Renee. Good to meet all of you, and good luck with your applications!

~31k a year sounds like a lot, but Rush's cost is actually lower than DePaul, and (probably) UIC seeing as you're out of state. It's really the room and board that will soak you; Chicago isn't cheap.

The debt level is far from ideal, but nursing's nice in that most hospitals and health care organizations where nurses work are nonprofits. Working for nonprofits allows you to discharge Perkins loans after 5 years, and Staffords after 10 (at least until the pols decide to change that for the sake of political expediency...)

I'm a guy, and as Renee said, we have the most men of all the cohorts. We started out with 9 and now have 7 (one dropped permanently, one had a family emergency and had to defer one term). Cohort 12 started out with two men and now has 3 because of the 1 from our cohort, and Cohort 13 has six or seven. Expect somewhere between 2-25% male, which is about what nursing is running in most fields right now outside of CRNA (it's more like 60% F / 40% M there).

Let us know if you have any more questions!

AdamDNPstudent · Feb 18, 2014

Hi All:

I am GEM alumni (2010) and a current DNP student at Rush. As someone that was in your situation a few years ago and an UIC alumnus (undergrad) I thought I should shed some light on the issue of tuition. The GEM Program at Rush University College of Nursing is very reasonably priced and is in fact less than in-state tuition at UIC. Public schools tuition may appear cheaper at glance but remember the main different between the tuition at a public institution and a private institution are the fees associated with a public institution.

Rush’s GEM Spring 2014 tuition: $10,851*6 terms = $65,106 (ALL STUDENTS)

UIC’s GEP Spring 2014 tuition: $11,600*7 (terms/semesters) = $81,200 (IN-STATE)

DePaul’s MENP Spring 2014 tuition: $655 (per credit hour)*107 (total credit hours) = $70,085 (ALL STUDENTS)

Pulmonary · Feb 18, 2014

Thanks everyone, I'm not worried about the loans. If accepted remember you're at a minimum getting a masters in nursing (with cnl) from one of the top nursing schools in the country. I'm just anxiously waiting for march 5th to roll around. I feel like I was a competitive applicant and my interview went very well so I'm not too worried about it. I was lucky enough to work in healthcare and have a bachelors in bio / chemistry before making a final decision to get into nursing, so I feel like I'm in a good place to succeed in this program. I'm from Wisconsin (Green Bay) but currently live and work in Phoenix. I flew in for my interview and first look, and was very impressed with what I saw. Like most of you, Rush is my first choice.

RushUNursing · Feb 19, 2014

Dear Applicants,

There are currently 106 males out of 1007 total students (10.5%) enrolled at Rush University College of Nursing. Currently there are 33 males out of 249 enrolled GEM students (13.2%). To compare this number to the national average there are approximately 294,063 male RNs, which makes up 9.6% of the total nursing population.

The Rush University College of Nursing has dedicated financial need and merit scholarships for diverse and underrepresented students (males included) in nursing. These scholarships come from a number of different sources, but represent a focused effort on the part of the College of Nursing to provide dedicated dollars to increase the diversity of our student body. The college understands the importance of preparing nurse clinicians who reflect the populations for which we care and the need to provide financial assistance to help our students meet their goals.

We encourage diverse applicants to simply apply for financial aid. If there is an available scholarship for which you qualify, you will be automatically considered. If you have questions about the financial aid process, please refer to the Office of Financial Aid website.

In May 2013, Rush University College of Nursing was awarded a $120,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation toward scholarships for the pre-licensure generalist entry master's (GEM) program. Lisa Rosenberg, PhD, RN, is the director for this new grant. For the Spring 2014 (Jan.) term Rush will offer selected newly enrolled qualified GEM students from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds a $10,000 RWJF scholarship. Funds from the College of Nursing and the University Diversity Scholarship Award Program will provide matching grants of $10,000 to an additional number of qualified students in the Summer 2014 (May) term who meet the RWJF criteria and are in financial need. "We believe these scholarships will make a significant impact in reducing student debt, while increasing the opportunity for diverse or disadvantaged students to receive a graduate education in nursing," said Lisa Rosenberg, NCIN program director and associate dean for admissions and recruitment in the college. This is the fifth time in the last six years Rush University College of Nursing has been awarded this grant.

Students will be eligible for the Robert Wood Johnson GEM scholarships if they are African-American, Hispanic, American Indian, specific Asian populations or male (groups underrepresented in nursing) or from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. An individual from a financially disadvantaged background is defined as one who comes from a family with an annual income below a level based on low-income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of the Census, adjusted annually for changes in the consumer price index (CPI), and adjusted by the Secretary of Health and Human Services for use in health professions and nursing programs. Students should contact the Office of Financial Aid if they are interested in applying for this award.

aabuisba · Feb 21, 2014

Hi everyone,

I had my interview earlier this week and I didn't leave feeling confident about it:( I was so ready for it but for some reason I got nervous and felt like I didn't do good. I'm really worried!! I can't wait for March 5th.

p.stacyt · Mar 4, 2014

Who can't wait for tomorrow!? It'll be a long day, that's for sure.

TheGerb, MSN · Mar 4, 2014

I usually interview very well, but the interviewer was straight to the point about all the things that make me a bad applicant. I definitely didn't leave feeling very well about it. We'll see what tomorrow brings though. Either way, I'm in at Depaul so next year will be an exciting (and expensive) change!

Pulmonary · Mar 4, 2014

Who can't wait for tomorrow!? It'll be a long day, that's for sure.

Not going to lie... I'm pretty jacked.